My car's electrical system just stopped working today..? - Toyota Yaris Forums

lr306 · 09-06-2015, 03:28 AM

Good morning all,

I struggled to find anything on the web that related specifically to the above, till I came across this specific thread.

My issue is very similar and happens 3 times, the last of which yesterday, and I got really really (I mean really scared).

I was driving with my girlfriend when all of a sudden I saw a number of lights all of a sudden lighting up in the dashboard (which I seem to remember was a sign of this fault about to happen) and then within a couple of minutes the car went from doing about 30mph to a complete and sudden stop, and since I lost he electricals, I could not even put the emergency lights on!! :-(

So I had to suddenly come out of the car and start waiving to incoming cars to make them aware of me.

Luckily I had a jump starter with me and was able to jump start the car immediately and go, but I was really freaked out and this 'incident' could have had serious consequences, say if it had happened on the motorway!!!?!

I am going to bring it to a garage soon, but have read that my local toyota dealer is not great, do you think a good electrician could find the fault, even if it is not a Toyota dealership?

Very grateful for any help you can give me

RL

CTScott · 09-06-2015, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lr306

Good morning all,

I struggled to find anything on the web that related specifically to the above, till I came across this specific thread.

My issue is very similar and happens 3 times, the last of which yesterday, and I got really really (I mean really scared).

I was driving with my girlfriend when all of a sudden I saw a number of lights all of a sudden lighting up in the dashboard (which I seem to remember was a sign of this fault about to happen) and then within a couple of minutes the car went from doing about 30mph to a complete and sudden stop, and since I lost he electricals, I could not even put the emergency lights on!! :-(

So I had to suddenly come out of the car and start waiving to incoming cars to make them aware of me.

Luckily I had a jump starter with me and was able to jump start the car immediately and go, but I was really freaked out and this 'incident' could have had serious consequences, say if it had happened on the motorway!!!?!

I am going to bring it to a garage soon, but have read that my local toyota dealer is not great, do you think a good electrician could find the fault, even if it is not a Toyota dealership?

Very grateful for any help you can give me

RL

It sounds like your alternator is not working and you are running off the battery until it too falls too low to power the car. Check the battery voltage with the engine running to see if the alternator is outputting. It should be at least 13.5 volts.

lr306 · 09-06-2015, 07:57 AM

Thanks for your prompt response! 😉

One other silly question if you don't mind me asking...

If the alternator would need replacement:

1) could this happen so sporadically? (E.g. 3 separate instances in the last 2 months, though we normally drive the car 2/3 times a week)

3) would the battery be flat? (It doesn't seem the case for me)

Thank you in advance!

CTScott · 09-06-2015, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lr306

Thanks for your prompt response! 😉

One other silly question if you don't mind me asking...

If the alternator would need replacement:

1) could this happen so sporadically? (E.g. 3 separate instances in the last 2 months, though we normally drive the car 2/3 times a week)

3) would the battery be flat? (It doesn't seem the case for me)

Thank you in advance!

Typically no, but the fact that jumping it brought it back to life made me think alternator. The comment above about a loose or severely corroded battery terminal is actually more likely with the sporadic nature of the issue.

lr306 · 09-06-2015, 12:06 PM

Guys,

Just been to kwik-fit for a free (always a bonus 😊) battery and alternator check. Alternator was working fine, but battery will need replacement soon.

What it was, though, was a loose negative cable (so loose it would have easily disconnected by going over a speed bump). How annoying and how frustrating that I could have even checked something like that myself....

So thank you very much for all of your comments and patience, I am sorry I am still learning the very basics of car maintenance, so appreciated your help!

Walker · 11-04-2018, 01:40 AM

Thanks guys for sharing. I am a new old-yaris owner. Just bought a 2004 yaris last week.

Same happened to me a couple of hours ago. First the abs warning light showed up. It then disappeared when making another trip. When reaching home, every indicator lighted up and the car felt like losing power. I managed to park the car though. Being curious, I went to check car but this time, I couldn't start it. It cranked but after a number of times, there were no more cranks.

A mechanic came and gave a jump start. It worked. After a brief check, he told that alternator and battery should be fine for now. He asked me to let the engine run for about 30 minutes (so as to get the battery charged) and update him tomorrow. While engine is running, I thought I would make charging more effective by driving the car nearby. This time I notice power steering (P/S) light was on. Not far after I drove, at a road side, the speedo meter display started to dim intermittently together with other indicators. The car struggled to stay alive and the engine stopped again.

When I turned the ignition on (before starting), the display blacked out and appeared. I was unable to start the car as if the battery was dead. I managed get help from neighbours to jump start and drove the car back.

09-06-2015, 03:28 AM	#1
lr306 Drives: Toyota Yaris 2009 automatic Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: London Posts: 3	Toyota Yaris 2009 diesel electrics suddenly went Good morning all, I struggled to find anything on the web that related specifically to the above, till I came across this specific thread. My issue is very similar and happens 3 times, the last of which yesterday, and I got really really (I mean really scared). I was driving with my girlfriend when all of a sudden I saw a number of lights all of a sudden lighting up in the dashboard (which I seem to remember was a sign of this fault about to happen) and then within a couple of minutes the car went from doing about 30mph to a complete and sudden stop, and since I lost he electricals, I could not even put the emergency lights on!! :-( So I had to suddenly come out of the car and start waiving to incoming cars to make them aware of me. Luckily I had a jump starter with me and was able to jump start the car immediately and go, but I was really freaked out and this 'incident' could have had serious consequences, say if it had happened on the motorway!!!?! I am going to bring it to a garage soon, but have read that my local toyota dealer is not great, do you think a good electrician could find the fault, even if it is not a Toyota dealership? Very grateful for any help you can give me RL

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09-06-2015, 07:57 AM	#3
lr306 Drives: Toyota Yaris 2009 automatic Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: London Posts: 3	Thanks for your prompt response! 😉 One other silly question if you don't mind me asking... If the alternator would need replacement: 1) could this happen so sporadically? (E.g. 3 separate instances in the last 2 months, though we normally drive the car 2/3 times a week) 3) would the battery be flat? (It doesn't seem the case for me) Thank you in advance!

09-06-2015, 12:06 PM	#5
lr306 Drives: Toyota Yaris 2009 automatic Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: London Posts: 3	Guys, Just been to kwik-fit for a free (always a bonus 😊) battery and alternator check. Alternator was working fine, but battery will need replacement soon. What it was, though, was a loose negative cable (so loose it would have easily disconnected by going over a speed bump). How annoying and how frustrating that I could have even checked something like that myself.... So thank you very much for all of your comments and patience, I am sorry I am still learning the very basics of car maintenance, so appreciated your help!

11-04-2018, 01:40 AM	#6
Walker I've made a post! Drives: Yaris Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Leeds Posts: 1	Thanks guys for sharing. I am a new old-yaris owner. Just bought a 2004 yaris last week. Same happened to me a couple of hours ago. First the abs warning light showed up. It then disappeared when making another trip. When reaching home, every indicator lighted up and the car felt like losing power. I managed to park the car though. Being curious, I went to check car but this time, I couldn't start it. It cranked but after a number of times, there were no more cranks. A mechanic came and gave a jump start. It worked. After a brief check, he told that alternator and battery should be fine for now. He asked me to let the engine run for about 30 minutes (so as to get the battery charged) and update him tomorrow. While engine is running, I thought I would make charging more effective by driving the car nearby. This time I notice power steering (P/S) light was on. Not far after I drove, at a road side, the speedo meter display started to dim intermittently together with other indicators. The car struggled to stay alive and the engine stopped again. When I turned the ignition on (before starting), the display blacked out and appeared. I was unable to start the car as if the battery was dead. I managed get help from neighbours to jump start and drove the car back.